Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce alcohol-related road deaths.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of key road safety education initiatives and publicity messages. The campaign’s strategy for drink drive publicity is informed by research, published by the Executive in 2001, on Drinking and Driving: Prevalence, Decision-Making and Attitudes . The research is enabling the campaign to target specific messages at key groups. Copies of the research report are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 18061).

  The campaign provides publicity to complement enforcement campaigns, focussing on drink driving, organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

Apprenticeships

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed in the construction industry under the modern apprenticeship scheme in the (a) Hamilton North and Bellshill and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency.

Iain Gray: There are 59 modern apprentices (MA) in the Hamilton North and Bellshill parliamentary constituency and 78 in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency who are training towards Construction Industry Training Board MA frameworks.

Bathing Waters

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will wait until the implementation of the new EU bathing water directive in 2006 before it designates any further beaches as official bathing beaches.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive intends to carry out a bathing waters survey this summer to find out what use is made of beaches around Scotland. Ministers will consider the findings of this survey and decide what future actions are needed.

Bathing Waters

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reconvene the Bathing Waters Review Panel to designate further beaches as official bathing beaches and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ross Finnie: There are, at present, no plans to reconvene the Bathing Waters Review Panel. While discussions continue at a European level about the revision of the Bathing Water Directive, it makes sense to work closely with our partners to ensure that we have the right information on which to take future decisions. The Scottish Executive participates in the Clean Coast Scotland Initiative and is actively involved in discussing policy development on bathing and recreational waters within this forum.

Bathing Waters

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Broughty Ferry beach is the best candidate for becoming a new designated bathing beach.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive plans to undertake a review of beach usage in Scotland this summer. Ministers will consider the results of this study before deciding on future bathing water designations.

Bathing Waters

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give to assist Broughty Ferry beach in securing yellow flag status this year and what bearing being designated an officially designated bathing beach would have on securing such status.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Water has recently invested £100 million in upgrading the sewage treatment works for Dundee, which has resulted in much cleaner waters at Broughty Ferry. This may help Broughty Ferry achieve yellow flag status.

  The yellow flag is a Seaside Award which is given to beaches that are clean, safe, well-managed and comply with all appropriate legislation (including the standards of the Bathing Water Directive). Being an officially designated bathing water will have no impact on whether a beach is awarded yellow flag status.

Body Piercing

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in introducing regulations for the body piercing industry.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is currently considering the legislative options available to regulate the body piercing industry.

Bridges

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for closure of the Erskine Bridge as a result of adverse weather or road traffic circumstances; with whom that organisation is required to consult, and to whom it notifies its decision.

Lewis Macdonald: The operating company, Amey Highways Ltd, manages and maintains the Erskine Bridge as part of the A898 trunk road. On receipt of adverse weather reports from the Met Office or for road traffic circumstances, Amey liases with the police, who have the legal power to close the bridge, the Toll Collector, APCOA Ltd, and the National Driver Information and Control System (NADICS). If a decision to close the bridge is taken, the information is passed to the Executive, APCOA, NADICS and the media.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be in Scotland of the UK Communications Bill, in particular with regard to the roll-out of broadband technologies.

Iain Gray: The UK Communications Bill will streamline the regulatory framework for communications across the UK, including Scotland.

  The bill is technology-neutral so it does not explicitly refer to broadband. However, the new amalgamated regulator, OFCOM, generally should be in a position to respond better and faster to developing and converging technologies such as broadband. The end result should be improved services for consumers in all parts of the UK. 

  In addition, the bill introduces the concept of spectrum trading, which should make spectrum available for new services more quickly and could facilitate the delivery of wireless broadband in the future.

  Through our discussions with the UK Government and OFCOM, we are working to ensure appropriate representative mechanisms for Scotland within the new regulator. These mechanisms should help OFCOM to take account of the impact of their activities in Scotland including any that affect the roll-out of broadband technologies.

Employment

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase the employment rates of disadvantaged groups such as lone parents or ethnic minorities in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency.

Iain Gray: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of Welfare to Work programmes. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.

  The New Deal for Lone Parents is available on a voluntary basis in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency. Following a qualifying period of unemployment Jobcentre Plus clients are eligible to join the New Deal for Young People and the New Deal for the Long Term Unemployed. Both these programmes have targets to achieve parity of outcomes for those clients from Minority Ethnic Groups.

  Action Teams for Jobs, available in three Dumbarton wards - Dumbarton North, Dumbarton West and Dumbarton Central, is a programme which aims to increase employment rates amongst disadvantaged groups in employment deprived areas. This programme is available to lone parents and ethnic minorities. The action team has co-funded two One Plus Child Care training courses to help address child minding problems of lone parents returning to work. The action team is also able to provide additional funding to lone parents not available through mainstream provision.

  A number of disadvantaged groups have early access to the Training for Work programme (TfW). TfW offers a selection of work focused training opportunities and, in the Dunbartonshire area, is enhanced by the JOBlink project and by the Adult Recruitment and Training Credit that is available to employers recruiting unemployed TfW eligible clients.

Employment

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to reduce the gap between unemployment rates in the areas of lowest employment in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and the rate in Scotland as a whole and whether this gap has reduced since 1999.

Iain Gray: Narrowing the gap in unemployment is a key area of the Executive’s strategy for the enterprise networks. By offering a range of skills and training initiatives, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire is working hard to ensure that employment opportunities are open to all.

  The answers to S1W-33915 on 18 February 2003 and S1W-33916 today, provide information on action being taken through New Deal, and other Welfare to Work Initiatives, to reduce the gap between unemployment rates in the areas of lowest employment in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency, and the rate in Scotland as a whole. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Specifically, the Action Teams for Jobs Programme (available in three Dumbarton Wards - Dumbarton North, Dumbarton West and Dumbarton Central) aims to increase employment rates amongst disadvantaged groups in employment deprived areas. Statistics for the New Deal for Young People, for the long-term unemployed, and for lone parents indicate that to the end of September 2002 a total of 1,489 people had gone into jobs within the Dumbarton constituency since the introduction of these programmes.

  The Dumbarton constituency has benefited directly from £3.9 million from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund from the Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme 2000-2006. Projects supported will promote economic regeneration, vocational training and economic development opportunities. It is forecast that these projects will cater for 670 trainees and create 2,145 jobs.

  In the last five financial years to end March 2002, 11 projects creating and safeguarding jobs in the area have benefited from over £3.4 million in Regional Selective Assistance.

  Claimant unemployment rates have fallen in all wards in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency between January 1999 and January 2003 as shown in the following table.

  Residence-based claimant count unemployment rates, by all council wards in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency, in January of each year between 1999-2003.

  
 Ward 1999
2000 2001
2002 2003
 Dumbarton West
12.5% 11.3%
10.2% 10.3%
8.3%  Dumbarton 
North 11.8%
11.5% 10.9%
10.2% 7.8%
 Renton/Alexandria South
7.6% 7.8%
8.1% 7.2%
7.1%  Bonhill East
9.0% 8.9%
8.2% 7.2%
6.4%  Haldane/Kilmaronock
7.3% 6.8%
6.7% 5.5%
5.5%  Tullichewna/Luss
6.5% 4.9%
4.6% 5.0%
5.1%  Dumbarton 
Central 5.5%
5.4% 5.3%
5.9% 5.0%
 Riverside
5.5% 4.7%
4.8% 5.6%
4.9%  Helensburgh 
East 7.4%
8.4% 7.0%
6.6% 4.8%
 Dumbarton South
4.7% 4.7%
3.9% 4.2%
3.7%  Arrochar/Kilcreggan
6.0% 6.3%
4.2% 4.2%
3.6%  Dumbarton/Bowling
4.3% 3.3%
4.0% 4.2%
2.9%  Helensburgh 
Central 4.3%
4.3% 3.5%
2.9% 2.8%
 Helensburgh West
3.9% 3.4%
2.8% 2.5%
2.1%  Rhu/Garelochhead
4.4% 4.1%
3.1% 3.2%
2.4%  Cardross/Craigendoran
3.3% 2.3%
2.5% 2.0%
1.9% 

  There has been a reduction in the claimant count unemployment rate between January 1999 and January 2003 for Scotland of 1.5% and for the parliamentary constituency of Dumbarton of 1.9%. The percentage point gap between the average claimant count unemployment rate for Scotland and the average residence-based claimant count of the worst four wards in Dumbarton has also been reduced from 4.7 in 1999 to 3.4 in 2003.

  Claimant count unemployment rates for Scotland, the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and the average of the worst four wards in Dumbarton in January of each year between 1999 and 2003:

  
 Area 1999
2000 2001
2002 2003
 1. Scotland
5.5% 5.1%
4.5% 4.1%
4.0%  2. Dumbarton
6.5% 6.0%
5.6% 5.3%
4.6%  3. Average 
of worst 4 wards in Dumbarton 10.2%
9.9% 9.3%
8.7% 7.4%
 Row 2 - Row 1 % point difference
1.0 0.9
1.1 1.2
0.6  Row 3 - Row 
1 % point difference 4.7
4.8 4.8
4.6 3.4


  All the rates in the previous table will be subject to revisions in autumn 2003 when the revised mid-year population estimates become available from analysis of the 2001 census.

Environment

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the air quality concentrations were at all monitoring sites for (a) lead, (b) particulate matter 10 emissions, (c) nitrogen dioxide, (d) carbon monoxide, (e) ground level ozone and (f) sulphur dioxide in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002.

Allan Wilson: The information requested is provided in the following tables. Figures are annual means for those sites in Scotland which form part of the UK monitoring network.

  Local authorities also undertake air quality monitoring as part of their responsibilities under the local air quality management regime, but the relevant data from their sites are not held centrally.

  Lead (Micro g/m3)


1999 2000
2001 2002
 Eskdalemuir
<0.007 0.003
0.002 -
 Glasgow
0.020 0.017
0.025 -
 Motherwell
0.016 0.009
0.016 -


  PM 10 (Micro g/m3)

  
  1999
2000 2001
2002  Aberdeen
- 19
15 18
 Edinburgh Centre
19 23
26 27
 Glasgow Centre
23 28
22 20
 Glasgow Kerbside1
28 27
31 30
 Grangemouth
- -
- 17


  Nitrogen Dioxide (Micro g/m3)

  
  1999
2000 2001
2002  Aberdeen
- 24
25 27
 Dumfries2
- -
38 38
 Edinburgh Centre
42 45
43 48
 Glasgow Centre
39 -
34 33
 Glasgow City Chambers
51 50
46 47
 Glasgow Kerbside
69 72
71 74
 Grangemouth
- -
19 16
 Inverness3
- -
- 22


  Carbon Monoxide (mg/m3)

  
  1999
2000 2001
2002  Aberdeen
- 0.4
0.4 0.4
 Dumfries
- -
- 0.6
 Edinburgh Centre
0.5 0.7
0.5 0.4
 Glasgow Centre
0.5 0.4
0.5 0.4
 Glasgow City Chambers
0.7 0.6
0.6 0.6
 Glasgow Kerbside
0.8 0.7
0.7 0.6
 Inverness
- -
- 0.4


  Ozone (Micro g/m3)

  
  1999
2000 2001
2002  Bush Estate
58 54
54 54
 Edinburgh Centre
35 30
30 35
 Eskdalemuir
56 47
46 48
 Glasgow Centre
33 33
33 34
 Strath Vaich
74 66
- 69


  Sulphur Dioxide (Micro g/m3)

  
  1999
2000 2001
2002  Aberdeen
- -
5 6
 Edinburgh Centre
4 6
5 7
 Glasgow Centre
11 10
10 7
 Grangemouth
- -
9 6


  Notes:

  1. Kerbside monitoring sites are situated no more than 1 m from the kerb. There are only four such sites in the UK and they are used for assessing worst case scenarios. Most urban sites are classified as either background or centre and are intended to be broadly representative of public exposure levels.

  2,3. Dumfries and Inverness are roadside sites, which are situated between 1 m and 5 m from the kerb.

Equal Opportunities

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the annual report on its Equality Strategy.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive made available Making Progress: Equality Annual Report in the Parliament today (Bib. number 26548).

Freight

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33304 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 February 2003, whether the figure of 1.4 million lorry miles removed from roads was an estimated figure; if so, on what basis the figure was calculated and what the actual number of miles removed from roads has been.

Lewis Macdonald: The 1.4 million lorry miles figure referred to in the previous answer was the actual number, based on data collected from the companies concerned as part of the Scottish Executive’s Freight Facilities Grant monitoring programme.

Further Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Further Education Funding Council allocated to Clydebank College in each year since 1997.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has been responsible for allocating funds to further education colleges since 1 July 1999, when it took over that responsibility from the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. The annual allocations to Clydebank College were as follows:

   
Year £ 
1997-98  7,432,900
 1998-99
 8,346,450  1999-2000
 8,386,494  2000-01
 9,058,602  2001-02
13,078,008

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether audio-visual services play an important cultural, social and political role and, if so, whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government opposing liberalisation of these services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Mike Watson: Audio-visual services have a vital role in all aspects of our lives. Currently there are no EU commitments in this particular sector, and the Commission has proposed excluding commitments in the audio visual sector in the draft order it has now submitted to the Council and the European Parliament.

Health

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance or guidelines there are for NHS boards in receipt of requests from patients wishing to leave hospital with the assistance of an ambulance provided by an independent health care provider.

Malcolm Chisholm: None. Hospitals will arrange transport most appropriate to patients’ clinical, social or other needs.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all female frontline NHS, local authority and care home staff that were, or may have been, pregnant were warned against any potentially harmful effects of flu vaccines containing thimerosal.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

  Not all influenza vaccines used in the UK contain thiomersal (also referred to as thimerosal) in the final product. With the exception of hypersensitivity reactions, there is no evidence that exposure to levels of thiomersal contained in influenza vaccine causes harm to adults or children. Similarly, with regard to vaccination of pregnant women, there is no evidence that the thiomersal content of influenza vaccine causes harm to the developing foetus.

  The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The MCA has advised that, as with any effective medicine or vaccine, influenza vaccine is not without side effects in some recipients. The risks and side effects associated with immunisation with influenza vaccine are stated in the product information for the vaccine. The recommendation of the Department of Health, outlined in its publication, Immunisation Against Infectious Disease (1996), is that the vaccine should not be given during pregnancy unless there is a specific indication.

  In general, it is the responsibility of the prescribing physician to weigh the possible risks of vaccination against the possible risks of clinical infection with influenza virus during pregnancy, and to discuss these risks and benefits with patients as necessary.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many mother and baby in-patient units carry out treatment of perinatal mental illness, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: At present there are no mother and baby in-patient units carrying out treatment of perinatal mental illness in Scotland. However, a number of NHS boards are considering the development of mother and baby units in their areas.

  In this respect NHS Greater Glasgow’s proposals to develop an interim six-bedded mother and baby in-patient unit adjacent to the Psychiatric Department at the Glasgow Southern General Hospital are the most advanced. Funding has been secured for this project, which will come on stream at the beginning of 2004. In the longer term, NHS Greater Glasgow has plans for a permanent six-bedded unit as part of the reconfiguration of in-patient sites across the city.

  In December 2002 I asked NHS Scotland’s regional planning groups to consider the benefits of providing joint admission services for post-natal depression on a shared, regional, basis. This issue will be an agenda item for the regional partnership networks, which bring together the Chief Executives of the five NHS boards in each Scottish region. Progress will be assessed in April.

Historic Scotland

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has instigated a review of Historic Scotland and, if so, whether the results will be made available to the Parliament.

Dr Elaine Murray: Arrangements are currently being made to undertake a review of the functions and structure of Historic Scotland. The results of the review and minister’s conclusions in the light of the review will be made available to the Parliament.

Historic Sites

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is responsible for the maintenance of the Murray Fountain in James Square, Crieff.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is not responsible for the maintenance of the Murray Fountain in James Square, Crieff. Responsibility for the maintenance, repair and protection of statues and monuments lies with the owner, or the body in which it is vested. However, section 96 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 enables local authorities to require the owner of any statue or monument not owned by them, which is located in a public place, to keep it in good repair.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the successor to the individual learning account (ILA) scheme could not have commenced within this session of the Parliament.

Iain Gray: While good progress is being made in developing a new ILA scheme, it is essential to ensure that all the practical lessons of the first scheme are being taken fully into account. I will be giving careful consideration to the report on ILAs by Audit Scotland, due to be published in March, before announcing operational plans for the new scheme. Decisions on the timetable for introduction of the replacement scheme will be finalised when I am content that the new scheme incorporates all the necessary improvements.

NHS Staff

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that hospitals provide genuine opportunities to negotiate flexible working hours.

Malcolm Chisholm: Guidance on Family Friendly Policies was prepared in partnership with the service, trade unions and the professions and was published in January 2000. This guidance includes a section on flexible working hours and it is intended to review the guidance later this year. The guidance underpins the Staff Governance Standard and all NHSScotland employers are required to meet or exceed it. Employers’ progress towards meeting the guidance will be part of the annual Staff Governance Standard audit process.

  Copies of the Family Friendly Policies guideline can be found on Scottish Health on the Web (SHOW):

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/spf/partnership_information_network.htm.

  The Scottish Executive Health Department Centre for Change and Innovation is also undertaking a national flexible working development programme from April to July 2003, followed by a good practice conference in 2003. The programme outcomes are to increase the numbers of staff working flexibly, increase staff satisfaction and reduce staff turnover and agency costs.

NHS Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average annual net salary, inclusive of overtime payments, of (a) senior house officers, (b) specialist registrars and (c) consultants has been in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area in each year since 1992.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

New Futures Fund

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many New Futures Fund projects have been funded in (a) Dumbarton parliamentary constituency, (b) the Argyll and Bute Council area and (c) the West Dunbartonshire Council area.

Iain Gray: (a) Dumbarton parliamentary constituency has one project: the East Dunbartonshire Multi-Agency Drug and Alcohol Forum, which works with drug misusers.

  (b) There are currently no New Futures Fund Projects in Argyle and Bute Council area.

  (c) The West Dunbartonshire Council area has one project; the West Dunbartonshire Partnership, which works with drug misusers.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the stabbings of three prisoners at HM Prison Kilmarnock in September 2002 were recorded for the purpose of the (a) prison’s performance points and (b) Scottish Prison Service’s key performance indicators.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Three KPI assaults were recorded. No performance points have been recorded; the police are investigating the incident.

Rail Network

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which consultants it commissioned to develop a strategy for the improvement of the rail network in Scotland; what the cost of the commission has been, and when in early 2003 the strategy will be published, as referred to on page 52 of the Strategic Rail Authority’s The Strategic Plan 2003: Route Descriptions .

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Strategic Rail Study was commissioned in July 2001 in partnership with the Strategic Rail Authority, Strathclyde Passenger Transport, SESTRAN, Railtrack and, latterly, NESTRANS and Dundee City Council. Work was undertaken by consultants Steer Davies Gleave at a total cost of £153,250 and the final report is expected to be published in March 2003.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the recent announcements by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will have on any construction of rail links to Edinburgh and Glasgow airports; what funding the SRA has indicated that it will provide for such projects, and when any such funding will be made available.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish ministers are considering the consultants’ report on options for rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, published on 12 February. The SRA were members of the study’s steering group. Final decisions on the options have not been taken by ministers, and funding requirements have therefore yet to be established.

Roads

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will construct a footpath on the Parkside to Lybster village centre section of the A99.

Lewis Macdonald: Funds for minor schemes for the current three-year programme (2002-05) are fully committed. Any new improvement schemes such as a footpath between Parkside and Lybster village will be considered as part of a future programme.

Roads

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will construct a footpath at the A9/A99 junction at Latheron cemetery.

Lewis Macdonald: Funds for minor schemes for the current three-year programme (2002-05) are fully committed. Any new improvement schemes such as a footpath scheme at the A9/A99 junction at Latheron cemetery will be considered as part of a future programme.

Roads

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to reconcile the road priorities set out in the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan with current plans to upgrade the Ayr to Stranraer section of the A77.

Lewis Macdonald: As part of the development plan process, local authorities refer draft development plans, both structure and local, to the Scottish Executive for comments. Where there are concerns or potential conflicts between the plan proposals and the trunk road network the Executive will seek to resolve these with the local authorities concerned.

Roads

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what reports on the A77 other than the Draft Route Action Plan Firm Strategy Report for the A77: Ayr to Stranraer have been requested, or prepared, by it or any other body.

Lewis Macdonald: The first phase report of a Port Approach Study on the A75 and A77 routes, commissioned by the Executive and conducted by consultants Mouchel, was finalised in November 2001 and was shared with members of the North Channel Partnership and South Ayrshire Council. Following discussions, a second phase study was commissioned, to examine a number of schemes in greater detail. A draft report of this work was received late last year and is being considered by the Executive.

Royal Engagements

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons are to be learnt from any complaint by Troon Business Association about the Executive’s involvement in the publicity and public relations for the visit of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Troon on 30 October 2002 in connection with the centenary of the sailing of the vessel Scotia to the Antarctic.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive carried out its role fully and in accordance with its normal remit for royal engagements. Current operational procedures have proved to be both efficient and effective. It is of course for the media, both local and national, to choose which royal engagements they wish to cover.

School Meals

Angus MacKay (Edinburgh South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to implement the recommendations of the Expert Panel on School Meals.

Cathy Jamieson: All of the recommendations of the panel have been accepted. £12.4 million, £21 million and £24.1 million in each of the three financial years 2003-04 to 2005-06 has been allocated to implement the recommendations. In addition, £2 million per annum will be provided to local authorities via the National Priorities Action Fund to provide fruit in schools to primary 1 and 2 children.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been referred by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in each year since its inception.

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) the service has declined to proceed with in each year since SEPA was established.

Colin Boyd QC: This information is not held centrally at present, but action is currently being taking to improve how this type of information is recorded. It is hoped that it should be possible to complete the improvements to our record keeping systems within the next few months, making the information requested more readily available.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service about the prosecution of environmental cases.

Colin Boyd QC: With input from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Crown Office has provided detailed guidance on environmental crime to prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases.

Scottish Executive Publications

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were, including legal costs, of drafting and printing and any other items associated with publishing the draft Local Governance (Scotland) Bill.

Peter Peacock: The costs of printing and web conversion for the draft Local Governance (Scotland) Bill amounted to £97.13.

  The costs associated with preparing the draft bill cannot be identified separately. The preparation of the draft bill formed part of the overall work programme of the Executive.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) rapes and (b) attempted rapes have been reported to the police in each year since 1997 and how many convictions were secured following such reports, broken down by (i) police force and (ii) local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information on crimes of rape and assault with intent to rape which were recorded by the police, and on persons with a charge proved in court where rape and assault with intent to rape was the main offence, is given in the following tables. Data on persons with a charge proved is not available by local authority area.

  The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim, and a crime may be recorded in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges recorded by the police may also be altered as a result of the judicial process.

  Crimes of Rape Recorded by the Police by Police Force Area, Scotland, 1997-2001

  
 Police Force Area
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Scotland
570 613
591 562
589  Central
12 19
5 14
33  Dumfries and 
Galloway 14
25 40
19 16
 Fife 25
35 32
54 42
 Grampian
54 76
82 60
55  Lothian and 
Borders 144
151 111
119 130
 Northern
24 26
36 15
21  Strathclyde
217 215
218 219
240  Tayside
80 66
67 62
52 

  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Rape (Main Offence) by Police Force Area, 1997-2001

  
 Police Force area
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Scotland
29  37 
27  27 
36   Central
-  3 
2  1 
-   Dumfries and 
Galloway 2 
-  1 
2  1 
 Fife 1 
 10 
2  - 
5   Grampian
1  3 
5  1 
1   Lothian and 
Borders 6 
6  8 
10  6 
 Northern
1  3 
1  2 
3   Strathclyde
12  11 
8  10 
15   Tayside
6  1 
-  1 
5  

  Crimes of Assault with Intent to Rape Recorded by the Police by Police Force Area, Scotland, 1997-2001

  
 Police Force Area
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Scotland
169 189
167 143
164  Central
3 6
6 6
9  Dumfries and 
Galloway 2
6 2
2 2
 Fife 13
9 14
8 17
 Grampian
14 27
18 21
10  Lothian and 
Borders 41
36 27
31 34
 Northern
7 15
7 10
5  Strathclyde
71 76
80 53
73  Tayside
18 14
13 12
14 

  Persons with a Charge Proved, in Scottish Courts for Assault with Intent to Rape (Main Offence), by Police Force Area, 1997-2001

  
 Police Force Area
1997 1998
1999 2000
20011 
Scotland 22 
25  18 
14  19 
 Central
2  - 
-  - 
1   Dumfries and 
Galloway - 
1  1 
-  - 
 Fife 4 
 2 
2  2 
2   Grampian
-  1 
1  - 
-   Lothian and 
Borders 3 
1  4 
2  3 
 Northern
1  2 
-  1 
-   Strathclyde
8  12 
5  7 
9   Tayside
4  6 
5  2 
3  

  Note:

  1. Includes one case where force is unknown.

  Crimes of Rape Recorded by the Police by Local Authority Area, Scotland, 1997-2001

  
 Local Authority Area
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Scotland
570 613
591 562
589  Aberdeen City
27 29
53 27
32  Aberdeenshire
21 40
21 23
18  Angus
21 24
23 10
12  Argyll and 
Bute 9
8 7
8 10
 Clackmannanshire
1 4
0 5
6  Dumfries and 
Galloway 14
25 40
19 16
 Dundee City
50 17
35 32
35  East Ayrshire
18 6
14 8
17  East Dunbartonshire
11 10
7 3
1  East Lothian
9 6
7 11
11  East Renfrewshire
4 9
4 6
5  Edinburgh, City 
of 95
114 60
76 78
 Eilean Siar
0 0
1 0
4  Falkirk
4 7
3 4
14  Fife
25 35
32 54
42  Glasgow City
83 83
79 99
123  Highland
21 25
33 13
15  Inverclyde
6 16
12 15
7  Midlothian
5 10
12 18
11  Moray
6 7
8 10
5  North Ayrshire
17 12
19 13
14  North Lanarkshire
18 20
18 16
16  Orkney Island
2 0
0 0
1  Perth and Kinross
9 25
9 20
5  Renfrewshire
13 12
22 16
15  Scottish Borders
21 9
17 5
14  Shetland Islands
1 1
2 2
1  South Ayrshire
16 17
13 8
5  South Lanarkshire
10 14
15 18
18  Stirling 
7 8
2 5
13  West Dunbartonshire
12 8
8 9
9  West Lothian
14 12
15 9
16 

  Crimes of Assault with Intent to Rape Recorded by the Police by Local Authority Area, Scotland, 1997-2001

  
 Local Authority Area
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Scotland
169 189
167 143
164  Aberdeen City
11 11
9 9
7  Aberdeenshire
2 11
8 6
2  Angus
5 6
2 4
2  Argyll and Bute
1 1
1 1
0  Clackmannanshire
0 1
0 1
2  Dumfries and 
Galloway 2
6 2
2 2
 Dundee City
6 5
9 7
9  East Ayrshire
4 5
5 2
7  East Dunbartonshire
3 1
1 0
0  East Lothian
2 0
1 1
5  East Renfrewshire
0 0
0 1
1  Edinburgh, City 
of 28
25 18
22 20
 Eilean Siar
3 2
0 0
1  Falkirk
2 2
4 3
5  Fife
13 9
14 8
17  Glasgow City
26 32
34 18
25  Highland
4 10
6 8
4  Inverclyde
1 4
4 1
5  Midlothian
1 3
4 2
2  Moray
1 5
1 6
1  North Ayrshire
3 4
4 3
1  North Lanarkshire
14 5
12 7
11  Orkney Island
0 0
0 0
0  Perth and Kinross
7 3
2 1
3  Renfrewshire
4 10
9 4
2  Scottish Borders
2 1
0 2
2  Shetland Islands
0 3
1 2
0  South Ayrshire
4 7
2 6
5  South Lanarkshire
6 6
3 7
12  Stirling 
1 3
2 2
2  West Dunbartonshire
5 1
5 3
4  West Lothian
8 7
4 4
5

Street Lighting

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the junctions on the A90 at Laurencekirk will have street lighting installed.

Lewis Macdonald: There are no plans to install street lighting on the A90 in the vicinity of the junctions at Laurencekirk.